April 4, 2026 Kim couldn’t stop thinking about Ron Drummond. She opened the shop at 9:00, just like every other day. Made coffee in the back room. Straightened the yarn baskets that didn’t need straightening. Moved three books from one display to another. Half an hour later she’d given up pretending to work and pulled […]
April 3, 2026 The flags near the register came down on a Friday. Kim folded the first, just like she’d been taught in Girl Scouts thirty years ago. Triangle, triangle, triangle. Stars up. She set it on the counter beside the register and reached for the second. Her hands shook. It was the coffee, she […]
I had the privilege of meeting Jeffrey R. Holland several times, including as John the Shepherd when he attended our “Joy to the World” Christmas show in December of 2024. As we chatted, I reminded him of a piece I’d written years earlier about his unique experience digging a grave in Nevada for a grieving […]
Meet Emma—she’s the heartbeat of the most important Christmas Jar story I’ve ever shared. If you’ve followed the tradition, you know that it began in 2004 when the Wright gang gave away the first jar. We lived in Northern Virginia, and we chose a family from our church. The truth is, this was really just […]
If you’ve ever been forced to sit next to me on a plane, you know that if you’re game to chat, so am I. Over the years, I’ve made friendships at 30,000 feet that have long outlasted most frequent flyer programs. Recently I found myself on a flight celebrating what brings every road warrior exquisite, […]
DECEMBER 1, 2025. Twenty years? I am definitely in my Christmas Jars feels. Two decades ago this story was a mini manuscript buried among many. Then along came Shadow Mountain and Deseret Book, and everything in this image slowly came to life. Without them, there’d be no books. No movie. And certainly no movement of jars appearing on doorsteps around […]
Lately it seems we’ve been plagued with far too many opportunities to forgive. We’ve watched from afar as Erika Kirk forgave her husband’s killer. We’ve seen communities in Minnesota and Michigan choose reconciliation after unthinkable tragedies in their churches and schools. Sadly, I know a thing or two about forgiveness. Not because I’m good at […]
WOODSTOCK, VA, UNITED STATES, October 14, 2025 / New York Times bestselling author Jason Wright and his wife Kodi Wright, in partnership with Shadow Mountain Publishing, have released “The Christmas Jars Cookbook: Recipes, Crafts, and Heartwarming Stories from Our Family to Yours” today everywhere books are sold. The unusual cookbook celebrates the 20th anniversary of Wright’s beloved […]
I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels. In the last year alone I’ve spent 59 nights in 20 different properties between D.C. and L.A. Some hotels lean on look and feel. Cushy carpet, lush lighting, fine furnishings. Others are all about service. Need your suit cleaned? Car washed? Favorite flip flops flown in from Finland? […]